Costco December Comp +1% / +5% "Costco reported net sales of $12.45 billion for the month of December, the five weeks endedJanuary 3, 2016, an increase of three percent from $12.13 billion during the similar period last year." Read the release   Marks & Spencer CEO Bolland Out After Holiday Season Disaster by Geoffrey Smith at Fortune. "...same-store sales had fallen 5.8% in the crucial third quarter of its fiscal year...Part of the reason for the poor performance was M&S’s refusal to join a stampede of discounting ahead of the festive season..." Read more   Greeters at Texas Wal-Marts [...]

  Former Target human resources exec Judy Werthauser lands at Domino's by Jonathan Maze at Restaurant News. "Werthauser will report directly to Domino’s CEO Patrick Doyle and will join the company immediately. She will oversee human resources organization and maintain a “people-first culture” at company-owned units that employ a total of 12,000 people." Read more   Apple Stores to Expand in Latin America, Starting With Mexico City by Joe Rossignol at MacRumors. "The tipster claims the first Mexico City store will be located in the upscale Via Santa Fe area of Centro Santa Fe, the largest shopping mall in Latin [...]

  Target Fires Stores Chief in Latest C-Suite Shake-up by Phil Wahba at Fortune. "Tina Tyler will be replaced by Janna Potts, a longtime Target employee who most recently worked in human resources but who previously was a senior vice president for store operations for a decade." Read more   ...Tyler will be paid $3 million if she agrees not to work for a Target competitor for the next three years by Kavita Kumar at Star Tribune. Read more   Ford Partners With Amazon to Make Cars That Talk to Everything by Mark Bergen & Kara Swisher at Recode. "Some scenarios [...]

  Former REI Chairman of the Board Killed in Avalanche by Becky Monk at Puget Sound Business Journal. "The REI co-op community is devastated to learn of Doug Walker's death on Granite Mountain. The REI board of directors, management and the entire organization send their heartfelt condolences to Doug's family,” REI said in a statement. "With any spare time he had, Doug would head to the mountains." Read more   LA TIMES: CES shifts its focus to innovations changing the tech industry by Andrea Chang. "CES ballooned into an overwhelming crush of products, press events and panels in recent years...Bejeweled [...]